Chapter 8 - Hands All Over
Revised on 1/4/12
Pai-san, what is happening to me? Why does nothing make sense anymore? Where are the foundations that I stand upon when I need them most? Why are my thoughts and feelings so confused?
I had to admit, there was something satisfying about looking down at people from where I was. Broom in hand, I gazed over the edge of the balcony to watch Ichigo greet passers by as she swept the walkway to the café. Perhaps this was close to the feeling that Pai got when he floated above the city, analyzing it. It was a sharp voice speaking my name that brought back from my journey through my thoughts.
"Retasu-san," Minto called from the lower level. "Are you finished sweeping the balcony yet?" I hastily began sweeping before replying.
"I'm sorry, Minto-san. I was daydreaming." I called back as I swept the dust and dry leaves into a dustpan.
"What?" Minto yelled, not hearing what I said.
I hurried in my task of emptying the dustpan into the garbage bin, lacking the confidence to yell back at Minto. I grabbed the broom as I rushed downstairs, tripping on the last step. Shirogane happened to by passing by, so he caught me before I hit the ground.
"Careful, Retasu-san." He said, supporting me as I got my balance back.
"Thank you…" I said quietly, blushing. Shirogane simply nodded and resumed his trek across the café. Cheeks still bright red, I picked up the broom and dustpan that I had dropped. When I stood up, I looked down slightly to see Minto, a wicked grin spread across her face.
"Um… what's wrong, Minto-san…?" I said nervously, although I knew what was coming. Instead of replying immediately, her smile grew bigger, and she placed her forefinger on her cheek.
"What's with that face, Retasu-san?" She giggled as she tapped her cheek and then crossed her arms. "You're blushing." Of course, I blushed more.
"I'm not blushing." I lied, although there was no point in me doing so.
"You might as well just admit it." Minto said, shifting her weight to her other foot as she spoke. "You totally like Shirogane." I shook my head at this; another pointless lie.
"No, I don't." I said as I walked around her, towards the storage closet. She began following me, her steps brisk.
"I can help you confess." She said as another pair of feet joined hers.
"Purin wants to help too, na no da!" Purin squealed. I whipped around, my face red.
"I don't need any help with anything. I don't like Shirogane." I said, dropping my broom and dustpan once again. "I like someone…" I trailed off, stopping myself before I did more damage. Purin and Minto looked surprised for a moment, but the devious smiles quickly returned. Each grabbed one of my arms, rushing me towards the storage closet. Ichigo had apparently decided to become part of the interaction, because I felt another pair of hands on my back, pushing me forward.
"Can you please just leave me alone?" I asked, the end of my sentence blocked out by the door slamming shut. As the light flickered on, the three girls looked at me, arms crossed.
"We'll leave you alone about Shirogane for the moment," Minto began as Purin nodded in agreement. "But you let it slip out, so now you have to tell us; who is this other guy that you like?" I backed as far as I could into the shelf behind me, ignoring the crackling sound coming from the box that I was leaning on.
"I really don't want to talk about it." I said, crossing my arms uncomfortably. "Besides, it really doesn't concern you." All of the girls frowned at this.
"Retasu-san, it's not like we're going to tell him that you like him." Ichigo said. "We just want to know, because you're our friend." Purin grunted in agreement and Minto nodded. I was preparing what I was going to say next, when the door opened to reveal a smiling Keiichirou.
"I'm sorry ladies, but I'm afraid that this little party must end." He said, moving out of the way so that we could exit. "We have some work to do." Shoving my way past Ichigo and company, I made my way into the café, thinking about what I could possibly say to the mews the next time that they cornered me.
When I came home, I found that Pai was sleeping in my bed. Admittedly, this was a scene that I had seen before. His grey-lavender hair was spread across the pillow, and as I drew nearer, I couldn't help but stare at his bare, scarred chest. I stood there for a few moments, looking at the fangs that peeked out from his lips, listening to his soft breathing. The longer I looked at him, the more tempted I was to steal a kiss from those soft lips.
After a while, I finally did. As soon as my lips touched his, his hands shot up, pulling me onto the bed. I was quite startled at the sudden movement. As he lay me down next to him, he sat up, cradling my neck as he kissed me. I was always surprised when his breath was always fresh, unlike a human's. "What time is it?" He murmured between kisses, running his hand along my arm.
"It's around seven PM…" I replied before I was cut off by another prolonged kiss as Pai pulled my body into his. He ran his fingers along my neck and along my collarbone, lingering on my mew mark. "Are you hungry?" I asked, running my hand along his back.
"A little…" he said drowsily. I smiled a little bit at his tone as his lips wandered along my jaw, finding their way to my throat.
"Should I get you something from downstairs?" I asked softly. Pai greeted that question with a low growl and a nibble to my ear.
"No. I just want you." He said as he rolled onto his back, pulling me over him. I blushed a little, brushing my hair behind my ear. His eyes were serious, just like they always were. He sighed and closed his eyes, covering them with his arm. "We keep searching for new 'Mew Aqua', but we haven't come up with anything." He muttered absentmindedly. "I haven't been able to sleep at all…" I furrowed my brow at his previous words.
"Why don't you just use the 'Mew Aqua' that I offered you?" I asked as Pai moved his arm up to look at me, frowning.
"It's a bad idea, Retasu." He said as he put his hands on my hips, shifting my body. I blushed, realizing where I had been resting.
"Why?" I asked. "I'm tired of humans; I don't care if they know that I'm siding with you." I said, startled as Pai sat up quickly, his eyes piercing mine.
"Are you?" He growled, clutching my shoulders. "Because I think that you are still a little uncertain about where your loyalties lie." I stared at him, wide-eyed as his grip tightened.
"What are you talking about, Pai-san?" I asked nervously. I admit that my negative feelings about humans had been wavering slightly, but mostly due to how I felt about Shirogane. Suddenly, Pai's words made sense. He wasn't talking about my allegiance; he was talking about Shirogane.
"I've seen the way you look at that man." He sneered, glaring at me. "You want him." He growled, pulling me closer. "Understand this, Retasu. You're mine." He let go of my shoulder to slide his hand under my skirt, resting it on my scar that formed his name.
I knew it was no use trying to lie to him, but I did anyway. "I'm sorry, Pai-san." I said nervously, my voice quaking with fear. "I assure you that nothing has happened, and nothing will happen." I saw suspicion in his eyes, but he didn't press the issue.
"I would hope that your words are true." He hissed as he burrowed his head in the crevice between my neck and shoulder, sliding his hand up to my hip underneath my skirt. I stared vacantly as he made a trail of kisses along my neck, up to my ear.
It was a little strange, becoming accustomed to lying.
